Service project ideas

K-Kids' mission is to teach children leadership through service. Planning and taking part in service projects is a great way for club members to gain leadership skills and make a difference in the community. There are service needs all around your community and even in local schools or organizations. A great goal is to plan projects that cover these three categories:

Hands-on service: Members roll up their sleeves and provide direct service within the community.

Fundraising and philanthropy: Members raise money for an organization or cause.

Awareness-building: Members make others aware of an issue and encourage them to take action.

Your club may have the perfect service project in mind after doing interviews and research, but here are more ideas in case you need suggestions.

Kiwanis One Day

On Kiwanis One Day, every K-Kids club is urged to join with the rest of the Kiwanis family—Builders Club, Key Club, Circle K, Aktion Club and Kiwanis—for a day of united service. A lot of good work gets done on the fourth Saturday each October, work that increases Kiwanis’ presence in the community and builds awareness about the value of service.

Kiwanis One Day provides an opportunity to showcase the Kiwanis family and our commitment to service in each community. Imagine the impact more than 600,000 Kiwanis family members can make in one day of united service. Projects undertaken run the gamut from beach cleanups to book drives, playground maintenance to pet days at senior centers, health fairs to high school beatifications. The event is inspired by Past International President Nelson Tucker’s initiative to create a day that unites the entire Kiwanis family in service.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

Every October 31st, K-Kids are encouraged to join Kiwanis-family clubs around the globe to trick-or-treat for UNICEF. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began 66 years ago to help kids who needed more than candy. Since then, children have gone door-to-door on Halloween with UNICEF collection boxes, calling out, "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!" They have helped to raise more than $175 million for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF since 1950.

Kiwanis Read Around the World

K-Kids members are invited to participate in the Kiwanis-family service project Kiwanis Read Around the World. Kiwanis-family members read to children year round to help students improve their reading skills.

Project ideas include:

Donate books to a library.

Organize a book swap.

Organize a book sale.

Make picture books for kindergarten students.

Read to kindergarten students.

Volunteer to help during your school’s Dr. Seuss’ Birthday celebration.

Read to patients in a hospital, resident of a nursing home or people who are visually impaired.

Teacher Appreciation Day

Members can come up with different ways students in their school can show their appreciation to teachers. Ideas include having members write a thank-you note to their teacher, members saying at least one nice thing to each teacher that day, helping teachers clean their rooms or making treats for teachers.

Landscape school grounds

Members can offer to help reseed the school's lawn, trim hedges, pick up garbage, repaint or plant flowers around the school. Making the school look beautiful on the outside can help bring school pride to all in the community.

Food or clothing drive

Members can plan and organize a school-wide food or clothing drive to donate to a local organization. Members could even drop off the donation to the organization and ask for a tour to learn more about that organization.